Rifle Scopes My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

[medic103]

Yesterday while shooting, after about a hindered rounds down range, and coming back from my targets, I lay down behind my gun and see this....

I was alone, so there no way any flying brass hit it, or any sort of trauma whatsoever. I tried cleaning it off and it won't budge. There actually two spots, but one more prominent. If I run my fingernail over it, it's barley noticeable. I mean very very little. Im 99.9% positive it wasnt there when I first started shooting as I would have noticed it. I use my scope covers during transport and I'm pretty careful with my scope.

Is there a coating on the lens that can flake? Would the glass scratch or chip without sufficient trauma? I mean, at worst scenario, the only thing possible would be a piece of brass hitting it on my last range trip, but if at happened I would have noticed it when I cleaned it that night. Could brass do that?

 

[BigJimFish]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

Its a bit hard to speculate without seeing a scope in person but here are my thoughts.

- The coatings on glass are really amazingly thin, on the order of a few atoms. I believe that they are probably to thin to flake and I have no experience with them flaking.

- Coatings and glass have always proven surprisingly durable in my experience. I have seen many a scope that has come back from a war zone or that is owned by a serious 3 gun competitor that looks like hell but has pristine glass. They must not be that easy to scratch or chip.

- I have had some pretty suborn gunk of unknown origin stick to my lenses before and have me thinking the thoughts you are thinking. After a bit of work with some Zeiss lens cleaning solution the problems were wiped free.

Bottom line, I wouldn't panic just yet. I would try some different lense cleaning solutions. You may just not be using one that is a good solvent for your particular gunk.

 

[EventHorizon]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

How often do you clean? I've always kept the cleaning to a bare minimum as every optics expert tells me the less cleaning the better.

 

[bricktop]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BigJimFish</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Its a bit hard to speculate without seeing a scope in person but here are my thoughts.

- The coatings on glass are really amazingly thin, on the order of a few atoms. I believe that they are probably to thin to flake and I have no experience with them flaking. </div></div>

The coatings must be on the order of the wavelength to get the transmission/reflections controlling effects that are desired. Visible light ranges from about 400-800nm, and atomic radii are generally less than a nm. So, the coatings are usually on the order of a hundred atoms thick or more. I have no idea though if this means they'll flake or not. Just throwing it out there.

 

[netranger6]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

Is it feeling like its protruding from the lens, or a depression in it?

 

[JRose]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

Can you see it when looking through the other side? If not, drive on...

 

[medic103]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JRose</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Can you see it when looking through the other side? If not, drive on...
</div></div>

What do you mean? Looking from the objective down? No, it doesn't show.

When I clean it, I only use a light lens brush to get off the heavy dust.

Eh, I'm waiting to hear back from Hudisco.

 

[medic103]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

JRose,

maybe you're thinking that's on the objective end... it's not. It's on the eyepiece.


D

 

[blair]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

I hate that for you, David !

 

[netranger6]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: medic103</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JRose</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Can you see it when looking through the other side? If not, drive on...
</div></div>

What do you mean? Looking from the objective down? No, it doesn't show.

When I clean it, I only use a light lens brush to get off the heavy dust.

Eh, I'm waiting to hear back from Hudisco.

</div></div>

Did you email Hudisco? IF so, you'll be waiting a while. He moved on. Call Zeiss USA, and hopefully, they've got their shit together to support the Hensoldt line. Back in July/August, they were still trying to figure out the support chain. That's what I was told at least...

 

[medic103]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: blair</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I hate that for you, David ! </div></div>

Thanks Blair. I mean, it's not the end of the world, and if I saw something hit it and I knew for sure what it was, I wouldn't give a crap.

Thanks for the tip on Zeiss.. I'll call 'em

 

[blair]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

10-4, not knowing is a problem. Hopefully, a good
cleaning agent will take it right off.....

 

[EventHorizon]

Re: My Hensoldt glass... Scratch or flake?

Zeiss Hensoldt have it together, I had some queries not two months ago and they put me through to the Hensoldt CS guy right away and questions were answered. I'm sure if there's a fault with the scope you'll be getting it repaired.

Good luck with it.